ment by routinely summering out on and it was a revelation. Ted success- B.C.’s Hornby Island and then moving fully got me to float for five minutes at Hermaneutics there altogether two years ago this a stretch; something I’ve never been spring. It’s always great to get togeth- able to do in fresh water. It’s the salt er with any of the brothers but all four in the water that does the trick, and A Fraternal Reunion in the Antipodes of us were starting to miss that spe- boy, can you ever taste it. I think it cial frisson – a sort of snapping into was my first acquisition of a major Herman Goodden place of all the necessary elements life skill since my wife taught me to empower a full electrical circuit- how to blow bubble gum bubbles Decades ago I recognized ple times during the same day, I can ry of unadulterated Goodden-ness on our third or fourth date in 1970. that summer is the season I find most never go out into a freshly polarized that only occurs when all of us re- oppressive. Not wanting to be a year- landscape without thinking to myself, constellate in our original formation. Aside from koalas and platy- round whiner I made a sort of pact with “This really is one of the most beauti- puses and ‘roos, an absence of snow, the world that I’d restrict my meteoro- ful things that our world gets up to.” Accompanying us has been a plenitude of large, noisy birds logical grumbling to June through Au- Dave Dell, aka the Dell Dog, first an and palm and gum trees, and hav- gust and this hasn’t been a hard bar- So I’ve never wanted to flee a early childhood friend of third born ing its own distinctive architecture gain to keep. Not being a driver I’ve Canadian winter but this past month Bob, who, because the older three were largely defined by measures taken been able to maintain a child’s love of I have been doing just that when an born within 17 and then 14 months of to mitigate the glare of the sun, Aus- snow – the heavier the better, say I – opportunity arose to be with all three one another, was soon taken up as a tralia really is a lot like Canada. up to the present day. No matter how of my brothers in Australia – the first good friend of all of them. (In an act of inconvenient snow might be or how time we’ve all been together since regenerative mercy that our mother You have the British Empire boring it is to shovel the stuff multi- burying our father ten years ago. It greatly appreciated, I followed three influence at its almost simultane- was my oldest brother Dave who first and a half years later.) He’s always ous founding (place names feature threw a spanner into easy Goodden- been a sort of avuncular figure to me; the same mix of Empire and Abo- The London Yodeller reunion planning in 1969 riginal nomenclature), the struggle 232 Dundas Street by chasing his wife-to-be against overbearing American cul- London, Ontario N6A 1H3 Liz down to her home town ture (I sighed when the first thing I Publisher: Bruce Monck of Melbourne after meeting spotted on Australian TV at the Syd- [email protected] her in Canada on the last ney airport was Ellen Degeneres) Editor: Herman Goodden leg of her own globe-trot- and the preponderance of settle- [email protected] ting trek. With or without ment taking place on the fringes Graphics: Justin Warren Liz and/or daughter Kate in - along the American border with Layout: Kirtley Jarvis tow, Dave manages to make Canada, around the outer rim here. it up to Canada every three Contributors: Paula Adamick / Mary Lou Ambrogio or four years and unfail- Early last week we rented a Vanessa Brown / Vince Cherniak ingly extends his invitation van for a four day tour of the south- Dave Clarke / Jeff Culbert to each of us to come out to eastern island-state of Tasmania - Jason Dickson / Bonnie Goodden the other side of the world. the most wooded and mountainous Jeremy Hobbs / Chuck Knor Deanne Kondrat /Jayson McDonald and temperate (its closer proximity Fancy Pants / Bob Pegg Our parents made to Antarctica shaves a few degrees Sean Twist / Barry Wells the gruelling, international off the blistering daily highs) of all dateline-crossing trek in eight Australian states and territo- Advertising & Marketing Vanessa Brown 1980 to see their then- five ries. On our second night we lucked [email protected] year-old (and only) grand- into a beautiful inn on a steep hill- child in her natural habi- 519-914-1860 side in Bicheno with a heart-stop- tat. Crossing that dateline ping view of the ocean and noctur- Letters to the Editor lends a decidedly Twilight The brothers Goodden en route to the Museum of Old and [email protected] nal visits from a herd of kangaroos. Zone aspect to Canada/ New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania The London Yodeller is Australia treks. My airline published bi-weekly. The next morning I dropped Next issue: March 27, 2014 itinerary says that it took two days to one of the few of my brothers’ friends into the manager’s office to pick up Printed in London, Ontario, Canada fly from Toronto to Melbourne and who never gave me a hard time and some email with his wi-fi and walk- © 2014 will take no days whatsoever – in fact would even put up with me if I wanted ing me back down to our van, he I gain a couple hours - to fly from Mel- to sit in with them. Being practical and said he’d never hosted an expedi- bourne to British Columbia where I’ll technically competent in a way that tion like ours before. “I think a lot of Front Cover: OLENKA Artwork: JUSTIN WARREN stay for another four days with my Gooddens sadly are not, Swamper people would like the idea of doing eldest daughter and her family before Dan (he also has more nicknames what you’re doing but then they’d returning to London where I hear that than should be allowable; I’m spar- have to ask themselves, ‘Could I re- winter is hanging on with a venge- ing you at least two others) has been ally stick it with my family for three ance just for me. Sorry about that. indispensable to our entire Australian or four weeks?’ You fellas really seem mission – helping to book our flights, to get along. You’re lucky that way.” My other two older brothers ensuring that we meet them, present- Indeed we are. and I were able to resist Australia’s ing us with agendas each morning for call so long as all three of us resided the day ahead and photographically in London and Dave was prepared chronicling the entire adventure. to schlep his way up to us every few years. But then Ted, the second-born, I had my first real swim in an started messing with that arrange- ocean on our first Wednesday here 2 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14 travel 02 HERMANEUTICS Herman Goodden — In Australia politics 04 YODELLING IN THE CANYON Barry Wells — Joe Fontana’s political non-future

05 DAPPLED THINGS Paula Adamick — Uked 06 POLITICAL HEAT Mary Lou Ambrogio — Civil servant entitlement 18 THE YODELLER INTERVIEW MUSIC AWARDS Mary Lou Ambrogio talks to Kathy Shaidle

2004 - 2014 music 10 BAND REVIEW TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY Deanna Kondrat interviews The Honeyrunners

11 THEN PLAY ON Dave Clarke — The London music scene

12 MUSIC INTERVIEW Bonnie Goodden with Vanessa Brown — Olenka

visual art 15 LOOK AT THIS 7PM Sunday, April 13 2014 Vincent Cherniak — Dutch Landscapes at the McIntosh

AT THE LONDON MUSIC HALL theatre 08 THEATRE SPACE Free admission Jeff Culbert — Peter Desbarats as playwright 14 SKIN DEEP www.jrma.ca Vanessa Brown on Skin Deep film 09 PEGG’S WORLD Bob Pegg — Peabody and Sherman CELERBRATING MUSICAL EXCELLENCE IN LONDON 16 CINEPHILIA Jeremy Hobbs — The Matthew McConaissance

17 SOUNDS RAZOR Sean Twist — Film Voir

books 07 SO WHAT NOW? Jayson McDonald — The Twilight Tomes

20 BOOK REVIEW Ian Hunter reviews Michael Ignatieff’s Fire and Ashes

21 BOOK CULTURE Jason Dickson interviews Monica S. Kuebler

et cetera 22 FASHION Deanna Kondrat — Weezi’s move

23 RED HEADED SNIPPET Vanessa Brown — Roller Derby Needs Room to Grow

13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 3 shyster friend in need is a friend indeed" and "A yodelling in the canyon sham charity begins at home."

As a result, in my view at least, our mayor-chief The Ides of March herald the future for magistrate's goose is likely cooked, noting Fontana defeated his predecessor, Anne Marie Gondola Joe Fontana DeCicco-Best, by only 2,537 votes on Oct. 25, Barry Wells 2010. Simply put, JoFo's chances of re-election, with such a shaky mandate to begin with, are slim to none and Slim Pickins left town. a system of cable cars strung high above the scenic Thames ELECTION ROSTER: At press time, there's River. 45 registered candidates for London's municipal “It came to me that one of the election, six for the mayor's swivel chair and 39 most beautiful things we could for London's 14 wards. No one has registered for do is to put a gondola over- the lower-profile school board trustee positions, head of our river as it con- although that will change in the months ahead nects SoHo and the Forks of when people discover the pay's not too shabby the Thames, especially when (about $17,000 annually), with one-tenth the me- we’re going to have cafés, dia scrutiny or hassle of council members. walkways, cycleways along our river,” said Mayor Joe. This With Ward 7 Coun. Matt Brown running for mayor nifty idea went over like a and Cllrs. Joni Baechler, Nancy Branscombe, Dale lead balloon amid much hilar- Henderson and Judy Bryant announcing they're ity from London's plebes. throwing in the towel, no incumbents will be run- ning in Wards 5, 6, 7, 9 and 13. Was Gondola Joe into the vino when he concocted this vision Incumbent Cllrs. Joe Swan in Ward 3, Paul Van of alpine urban splendour? Meerbergen in Ward 10 and Harold Usher in Ward Unfortunately, we may never 12, have yet to announce their noble intentions, know. I predict here and now although it wouldn't be surprising if at least one of the above three all-stars declined to seek re-elec- ILLUSTRATION: LINCOLN McCARDLE that Mayor Joe, 64, won't be filing his nomination papers tion. Swan, in particular, as Fontana's Kamikaze for re-election, regardless of co-pilot, is likely to return to private life, either by As we approach the third full moon of the ballot box or on his own accord. 2014, the ominous Ides of March and ancient Roman the outcome of his upcoming trial for allegations festival of Mamuralia - when a scapegoat in the of fraud under $5,000, breach of trust of a public official and uttering a forged document, dating There's a chance, however, Swan could migrate form of an old man dressed in animal skins was ritu- over to run in Ward 6, an area he represented for ally beaten like a rented mule and driven from the back to 2005 when he was a veteran Liberal MP for London North-Centre. 12 years when it was Ward 2 from 1988 to 2000- city - it's an apt time to consider London's unfolding if former Ward 3 Coun. Bernie MacDonald, 70, municipal election, Gondola Joe Fontana's May 26th If I'm wrong on that, I predict mayoral candidate comes out of retirement (Lord forbid) after 48 criminal trial and his iffy chances of re-election. Matt Brown, the respected one-term councillor months of year-round golfing, here and in Florida. from Ward 7, will soundly defeat him in October. Voting Day is Monday, October 27th, when 2014's "Why is that?" you likely ask. Visit www.AltLondon.org daily to see the updated list of autumn frost will be on the soon-to-be-carved candidates. pumpkin. SHAM CHARITY: Tarnishing Fontana's Municipal election years are always a fun-filled credibility and reputation is his involvement as CITY HALL TRIVIA: Ward 1 Coun. Bud Pol- time; some even call it "silly season," when our chairman of the board of the sham charity, Trin- hill has nearly 26 years of uninterrupted service "lame duck" city council and its members are prone ity Global Support Foundation, which purported under his belt, after first being elected in 1988. to proclaiming wacky things as they face their Day to fight HIV-AIDS and assist disadvantaged Next in the seniority line is Ward 2 Coun. Bill Arm- of Reckoning in the finicky court of public opinion. children the world over. The Canada Revenue strong, who has nearly 20 years of service after In Fontana's case, there's also the Middlesex County Agency (CRA) revoked Trinity's charitable status first being elected in 1994. Court of Justice at 80 Dundas Street. on May 4, 2013 - following an April 23, 2013 rul- ing by the Federal Court of Appeal - after a CRA Bud Polhill's son, Steve Polhill, is running against In the silly season department, you may remember investigation revealed, amongst other irregulari- Bill Armstrong in Ward 2 for the third time. In Mayor Joe floated the unusual idea last January of ties, that eight million dollars in tax-receipted 2006, Armstrong defeated Polhill the Younger by donations were shovelled to Fontana's boyhood 879 votes; in 2010, Armstrong won by only 200 pal-former business partner, Vince Ciccone, votes, so Armstrong is understandably nervous in who in Sept. 2012 was ordered to repay inves- the service in 2014. Bud's Polhill's daughter, Sheri tors $15.5-million, as well as $750,000 in admin- Polhill, works for the City of London and has been GIVE US THE istrative penalties and $100,000 in costs to the a trustee with the Thames Valley District School Ontario Securities Commission. Board since 2006. Both Bud and Steve Polhill are THUMBS UP OF licensed grease monkeys aka "automotive techni- APPROVAL This unseemly chain of events prompt two cians" at Bud Polhill Automotive on Admiral Court (slightly altered) adages to spring to mind: "A in London's east end.

4 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14 dappled things

Uked Paula Adamick

At the time, Obama said: “We need to eliminate This is real geopolitical power. By threatening to these stockpiles for the safety of the Ukrainian peo- turn off the lights, heat and taps, Russia can exert ple and people around the world, by keeping them critical pressure on the EU’s already fragile econ- out of conflicts around the world.” omy. Such power also gives Russia the potential to Oops. starve Ukraine, just as Stalin did in 1932. Whether the reality-free Obama administra- So, given Russia’s leverage over Kiev, what tion is embarrassed remains to be seen. are the chances the EU and the U.S. will back away The point was not lost on the editors of such from imposing meaningful sanctions or blocking venerable American publications as the Washington important Russian bank accounts? Courtesy: trolinukitus.It Post, however, which weighed in on the crisis in or- Very high, particularly given the number of der to look less idiotic than the regime it has been times Russia has turned off or reduced gas supplies Days after Russian puppet Victor Yanu- so blindly supporting. to Ukraine in the past ten years, and given the fact kovych fled his presidential palace amidst massive In a scathing editorial March 4, titled that the EU and Britain are already captive custom- demonstrations during the final days of the Sochi Obama’s Foreign Policy Based on Fantasy, the Post ers. 2014 Olympics, Russian president Vladimir Putin lamented: “For five years, President Obama has led Through Gazprom, Putin has the ability to responded by sending troops into Crimea. This was a foreign policy based more on how he thinks the make or break the Ukrainian economy, pushing soon followed by the Crimean parliament voting to world should operate than on reality. It was a world Ukraine off the economic precipice unless the IMF join Russia. in which 'the tide of war is receding' and the United comes to their rescue with conditional loans. Will Putin invade the rest of Ukraine? As I Meanwhile, troubling questions remain write, the answer is obvious: Putin will do whatever about Obama’s handling of Benghazi, Egypt, Libya he wants because he can. Tell Vladimir that after and Syria as president Bashar al-Assad wages a U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry can splut- very 20th-century war with Russian support. ter about Putin playing 19th century politics in a my election I will have As for the effectiveness of Obama’s re- 21st century world all he wants. He can’t conceal more flexibility. peated threats over crossing ‘red lines’, the Syrian the truth of the Obama administration which has dictator’s military and diplomatic position has only been exposed as never before as disastrously Barack Obama to Dmitry Medvedev strengthened. Nor will Assad, Xi Jinping or Putin be incompetent and inadequate, while leaving Putin in an open mic gaffe in Seoul, March 26, 2012 deterred by the disapproval of peers or the weight fairly certain that the West, including the European of world opinion. As with earlier leaders in world Union, will do nothing of any consequence to stop history, they are concerned primarily with maintain- him. States could, without much risk, radically reduce ing their holds on power. Putin knows Ukraine cannot defend itself, the size of its armed forces. According to this vision, This while Kerry harrumphs: “You can't fight either financially or militarily. other leaders would behave rationally and in the a Twenty-First Century war with a Nineteenth Cen- For that, the Ukrainian people can thank interest of their people and the world. Invasions, tury tactic! You can’t do that! You can’t violate pieces U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. brute force, great-power games and shifting allianc- of paper!” In December 1994, Ukraine signed a Memoran- es — these were things of the past. Kerry displayed Sadly, such elitist naivete and hubris eventu- dum on Security Assurances in which Ukrainians this mindset on ABC’s This Week when he com- ally produces dire consequences. In a world which were promised by then U.S. president Clinton (and plained of Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine: has always been governed by the aggressive use reaffirmed in 2009 by Obama) that their territory, 'It's a 19th century act in the 21st century.'" of force, America’s allies no longer feel confident including Crimea, would be inviolate if they would Unfortunately, the Post noted, Putin did the U.S. can be counted on. As America retreats and agree to reduce their army and largely destroy their not receive the memo on 21st-century behaviour. reduces her military strength to pre-1940 levels, her weaponry. Neither has China’s president, Xi Jinping, who’s trustworthiness under Obama has also been found So much for warm and squishy assurances. engaging in gunboat diplomacy against Japan and wanting, even laughable. Twenty years on, the self-congratulatory smiles of the weaker nations of Southeast Asia. Putin’s gov- In addition, Obama’s catastrophic foreign Clinton, British prime minister John Major, Ukraini- ernment is also negotiating with Cuba, Venezuela, policy is turning the tide against democracy – a an president Leonid Kuchma, and Russian president Nicaragua, Algeria, Cyprus, the Seychelles, Vietnam postwar tide of freedom that once seemed so inexo- Boris Yeltsin stand for nothing. and Singapore for access to facilities that could be rable. The historical reality – that the world has al- used to extend the long-range capabilities of Rus- Which means that the crucial importance ways been governed by the aggressive use of force sia’s navy and strategic bombers. of the U.S. acting as an agent for good in the world – has again reasserted itself, along with informa- Is Putin planning to reassemble the former since World War II by helping nations to attain tion from the British press reminding readers that it Soviet Union? Or is he simply reacting to the threat democratic freedom is now being demonstrated in was Barack Obama who, as a new senator in 2005, to his gas pipelines posed by the overthrow of his the breach created by Obama. travelled to Kiev with U.S. senator Richard Lugar to Ukrainian stooge? The Ukrainian people can now depend only further weaken Ukraine by supplying $48-million Russia’s main export to the 28-country EU on themselves to determine their future and wheth- in federal funding to help Ukraine destroy more and Ukraine is natural gas. This is Russia’s lifeline, er or not it will be free. than 400,000 small arms, 1,000 anti-aircraft missiles, providing the EU with a quarter of all its gas and and more than 15,000 tons of ammunition – the very billing $100-million a day. Half of Ukraine’s gas weapons now unavailable to the Ukrainian army as comes from Russia too, giving Putin a near strangle- it faces down Putin. hold on the entire region.

13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 5 political heat If you want to get a sense of how seriously un- hinged from reality people in the public sector can become, it is instructive to review a Statistics Canada report entitled “Understanding public- The Ugly Truth about Public Sector private sector differences in work absences”. Unions and Entitlement Some of the findings in this report beggar belief, including: Mary Lou Ambrogio > Among full-time employees, those in the private sector took 8.3 days off on average, while those in the public sector took 12.4 days. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor balance, you’d know how fortunate you are to be in a situation where the negatives of a job are seri- gloom of night stays these couriers from the > Differences in union coverage, and the higher swift completion of their appointed rounds. ously outweighed by the positives which you enjoy. proportion of older and female workers explained about 80% of the gap in absences between public Those inspiring words are the unofficial motto of Unfortunately, there’s no utility for the union bosses and private sector employees. the United States Postal Service. in having public sector workers who know how lucky they are so they must instead sow dissent > Some differences in work absences could be I had occasion to think about these words recently and stoke the sense of entitlement that the un- found across occupational categories, but did not when I realized that the swift Canada Post letter ion workers carry. “The Union makes us Strong”, explain public–private sector differences. carriers assigned to deliver mail to my house, indeed. hadn’t been stopping by for about two weeks. The But how on earth does this rarefied group manage only mail I get with any regularity these days is a Interestingly enough, private sector unions are to hold the tremendous advantages they’ve gained few bills and a lot of junk mail, so I was in some quickly going the way of the dodo. While they over the rest of us? William Gairdner, author of “The ways happy for the break from the unwelcome mis- served a very important purpose at one point in Trouble with Canada Still”, rightly points out that in sives and wasn’t overly fussed about the “why”? history protecting workers and improving working Canada, one third of the populace are workers, one conditions, much of those gains have been en- third is government, and one third lives off govern- It was the appearance of a passive/aggressive trenched in regulations as well as in our collective ment, so naturally two thirds gang up on the work- sticky note that some scold left on my mailbox that psyche so now union membership is all about the ing one third and clearly, the working third lose. Not clued me in to the ”why”. According to this, “Break money and the jobs for life! only are they seriously outnumbered, but they’re the Ice,” sticky note, snow and ice were an impedi- also tired because they actually have to work for a ment to the swift completion of their appointed According to a Canadian Press article from 2012, living. rounds. Statistics Canada figures show, “the labour move- ment in Canada is in a 30 year decline”, but “the If we had principled politicians, they would see that I have some sympathy with our noble couriers and public sector, including civil servants, Crown cor- something needs to be done about this but instead, will concede that this winter has been a challenge porations, schools and hospitals dominated. More they work hand in hand with the union bosses. In with regard to shoveling and ice picking but I than 71% of the public sphere was unionized, while order to give themselves special privileges and found it passing strange that the kids who deliver in the private sector that number plummets to 16 continue their trough feeding uninterrupted, they the Penny Saver (for pennies a piece!) and the Je- per cent.” In the private sector, constantly agitating understand they need to give similar entitlements hovah’s Witnesses who voluntarily bring the good for more is somewhat pointless because business- to at least the more vocal and more organized seg- news of God’s Kingdom in their “Awake!” maga- es are constrained by the reality of a bottom line. ments of the voting public. zine, were still managing to scale the (apparently) Not so in the public sector. Himalayan terrain in front of my home. I guess it all While politicians do know what they’re doing is comes down to motivation. unsustainable, success for them simply means preserving their own privileged positions while Which brings me to my point and one of our big- managing the decline in such a way that those who gest problems: Entitlement. are hurt by it don’t rise up to open revolt.

There’s a funny thing that happens to people once Adding insult to injury, Ontario Premier Wynne is they find themselves in what would appear to be talking about adding another layer of bureaucracy an ideal employment situation. An “ideal” employ- with a provincial pension plan because we aren’t ment situation would include things like: better saving enough. It’s really quite rich to have the gov- than average wages, top of the line perks in the ernment chastising us for not saving enough while form of benefits and pension plans, (especially at the same time forcing us to carry an over-sized non-taxable benefits) and rock solid security of the public sector. Maybe if taxpayers didn’t have this kind that means you will not experience any major burden to carry, we might be able to take care of disruptions during your income earning years no our own retirement needs? matter how much you deserve to lose your job. Back in 2005, former Liberal Minister and one-time Given that most people have experienced the op- Royal Canadian Mint CEO, David Dingwall, fa- posite of ideal at some point, if not throughout their mously said, “I’m entitled to my entitlements” while whole working career, if you suddenly found your- giving testimony before Parliament about why self in the ideal situation, wouldn’t you be inclined he should receive a severance package after his to count your blessings every day and commit voluntary resignation. One of Dingwall’s portfolios to not losing that perspective? That perspective was Minister responsible for Canada Post. I think I would mean that even while no job is perfect, you’d know why I’m not getting my mail and it has some- be able to dismiss minor annoyances because, on thing to do with how fish rot from the head down.

6 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14 so what now?

Contemplating the Significant Weight and Heft of The Twilight Tomes Jayson McDonald

JAYSON McDONALD usefulness in other areas have kept monsters provides the perfect step Marlene, the quicker and more me reaching for the book since then. ladder for my partner Marlene to sensible thinker among the two of us, I know, I know. Twilight For example, I have an outbox next reach the top shelf of the kitchen immediately sprang into action and is so done, right? All the movies have to my desk where loose script pages cabinets, where we keep our serving grabbed the nearest object at hand. been made, all the remaining mer- pile up as I write. And it used to be dishes and extra-large bowls. There While I was busy yelling, "I'mma chandise is being cleared through that every time the front door was was a time when it was necessary police, you I'm call, you don't, I'm the dollar stores, and the world opened, whoosh! There they'd go, to drag a whole chair over to the police - " Marlene picked up Break- patiently awaits the reinvention of hither and thither, spinning about cabinets, which was really too large ing Dawn and flung it at the burglar's mummies as sexy young rock stars the apartment like leaves. But not a step - you'd find yourself having head with the grace and power of an with a penchant for dried flowers. anymore! Twilight sits atop the pages to crouch under the ceiling as you Olympian shot-putter. There was a But recent events have spurred me now . . . heavy, solid, almost preter- dug out the appropriate dishware for sickening 'crack' as the novel made to take you on one more last look at naturally inert. As if the weight of a that impromptu dinner party. But not impact with the interloper's skull and the series of vampire novels that the thousand sparkling vampires an- anymore! Eclipse is overwritten just he went down like a tonne of bricks. New York Times has called "a series," chors it to reality. enough to be the perfect-sized step. We would learn later that not only "PG-13" and "over 2000 pages." did he suffer a laceration requir- The second book of the series, New But the real winner of the series has ing five sutures, he was also con- So back in 2012 or so, a friend Moon, has become an indispensable to be the final volume, Breaking cussed so heavily by Meyer's work decided that my interest in horror help in the kitchen. Our table wob- Dawn. This novel is so weighty we of extreme gravitas that he required fiction had been under-served for bles like a drunken sailor - likely be- never actually got around to picking medical observation for two and a far too long, and presented me with a cause the kitchen floor rolls like the it up off the floor where Marlene had half days. But our Best of Britney CD deluxe collected edition of Stephenie roiling sea. But New Moon opened to thrown it in a fit of disgust following was safe, so . . . screw that guy. Meyer's Twilight series. This friend page two hundred fifty-three is the a second attempt to read it. If it was had read them all and declared that exact, perfect-sized shim needed to ever in the way, we'd just kick it and And then at the end Bella gives birth they were "miles better" than Anne steady the table. No longer are poker watch it slide across the floor like a to a vampire baby who grows up to Rice's novels of the previous dec- games interrupted by a deluge of curling stone. Sometimes I'd make be Count Chocula. ades. "How so?" I asked innocently. mixed drinks spilling off the port myself sad by thinking about the tree side into the laps of hapless gam- it once was, gently swaying in the So if you're thinking about picking up She squirmed to articulate a reason. blers as some enthusiastic player summer breeze on the side of some a set of Twilight novels for someone "I dunno, the vampires are just more knocks the table with his knee. Jacob quiet and solemn mountain. else as a joke gift, I say do it. We've accessible." the Werewolf is keeping that table taken to rigging up our copies above steady with his rock-solid abs. On a recent fateful evening, Marlene doorways and windows in Home I thanked her for her thoughtful- and I arrived home from a drunken Alone-style booby traps when we're ness and promised I'd sit down and The celebrated third book in the night out hucking day-old doughnuts away, and we've never felt safer. Oh, find out what all the teenaged girls series, Eclipse, finds Bella torn at cars to find a burglar in our home. Stephenie Meyer. You might only loved about the series once and for between her love for Edward the He was foolishly filling a pillow- have an estimated net worth of a all. Later that week, I pulled out the Sullen and her friendship with Jacob case full of compact discs he obvi- hundred twenty-five million dollars, first book and sat down to experi- the Frequently Hirsute. The heated ously thought he could sell. My first but you're worth two hundred million ence the sensational Twilight saga rivalry between the two adorable thought was, "Are you from the past?" to me. Wink! for myself. Was pasty, perpetual high school student Edward really more accessible than The Vampire LeS- tat? I certainly hoped so, because I'd always felt that vampire folklore hadn't been diluted enough to make it completely pointless yet. The idea of a nocturnal, intelligent, immortal, humanoid parasite always frightened me as a youth, but I'm able to sleep a lot better now knowing that vampires are actually just awesome boyfriends who sparkle in the sun.

Thirteen pages into Twilight, my phone rang and I never picked up the book again. Well, I never at- tempted to read the story again; its

13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 7 mation department, and there was major industry. theatre space considerable anger and embarrass- The proclamation issue ment in the general population as never even goes public in Her well. There was also lots of support Worship. The woman who plans to London’s Journalist Playwright for the mayor’s position. She quickly make the request gets convinced announced that she would no longer to drop the issue, so that the shady Jeff Culbert issue such proclamations, but the dealings of the preacher can be cat was already out of the bag and exposed and the Christian Mecca scratching. plans can be torpedoed. Does this Here’s to Peter Desbarats Peter loved writing for the theatre This remained a highly- sound like anything that ever hap- (1933 – 2014). Most people knew him and with his journalistic eye and sen- charged issue in London for many pened in London? No. as a journalist, a news anchorman sibility, he wrote some pretty topical years after that, so a play by Peter Peter and I tried to tell for Global TV, the Dean of Western’s and provocative stuff. Desbarats called Her Worship, people that, yes, the play was Journalism School, a biographer of In 1969, when he lived in based on the Dianne Haskett Rene Levesque, a commissioner for Montreal, some black university scenario, but it departed from that the Somali Inquiry or the author of a students accused a faculty member story, allowing Peter to explore book expressing how pissed off he of racism and staged a protest. This the themes of politics and religion was at the Chretien government for grew into a much larger demonstra- that had interested him for many terminating the Somali Inquiry. tion and sit-in, and when the police years. Such were the heightened But I knew him mostly as a were called in, the students de- sensibilities of Londoners at the playwright. stroyed the computer lab and tossed time though – on both sides of the thousands of 60s-era computer divide – that nobody believed us. punch cards out the windows. It was Some critiques from the the biggest student riot the country gay community complained that had ever seen and it resulted in 97 PETER DESBARATS the play went too easy on the arrests. mayor character. They wanted to Peter turned this incident based on the Dianne Haskett contro- see her skewered for her discrim- into a play called The Great White versy, was publicity gold. Lots of buzz inatory attitude. Computer. It was the sensation of and media coverage, and not only in Others condemned Her the inaugural season of The Centaur the entertainment section – this was Worship as another swipe at a Theatre Company, which became front page news. We had sold-out popular mayor who was only the main English language theatre houses for every single performance, following her conscience. One in Montreal. It must have been pretty with people turned away at the door. letter-writer to the Free Press de- electrifying for audiences, especially One of my favourite moments nounced the play, proudly declar- on the night when some of those during the performances came at ing that he would not be seeing it. same black students came into the the end of the third scene, when the I replied with a letter of my own theatre to protest the show. A Mon- mayor and her advisor, an aging po- suggesting that there may be a treal journalist recently cited it as litical warhorse with liberal leanings, special place in hell reserved for one of a few plays from those early are walking out of his office: those who criticize plays that they days that would have inspired young haven’t seen. people to become lifetime theatre- Mayor: I’ve got a little job for you. Peter wrote some other goers. Mentor: Another speech about down- plays during his years in London, Over thirty years later, when town redevelopment? but Her Worship was the big one. Peter was in his late 60s and living in Mayor: I wish it was that simple. You After his death, I dug the script London Ontario, he approached me know they want me to proclaim Gay out and read it for the first time about directing a play he’d written Pride Week? in over a decade. It’s so enjoy- based on one of London’s biggest able: funny, provocative and filled Mentor: Yeah. So? controversies: Mayor Dianne Has- with ideas that we as a society kett’s refusal to proclaim Gay Pride As they left the stage and the lights are still grappling with. There is a Week in 1995. went down, the audience would go, great scene in which a separatist In case that’s before your “Ooooooooooooohhh.” They knew Quebecois chef, a black preacher time, I should explain. It was com- what was coming. Or at least they and a lesbian activist, fuelled by mon in those days for the mayor thought they did. In fact, it was at that after-dinner drinks, argue about to take requests to attach a certain point that the plot of Her Worship and race, nationalism, gay politics and theme to a week or day or month, the Dianne Haskett story diverged religion, each issue cascading into and it was all usually quite uncon- significantly. the next, with constantly chang- troversial: Volunteer Week, Clean In the play, a charismatic ing alliances. Very funny dialogue Air Day, Salvation Army Red Shield preacher is working with the mayor built from deadly serious issues. Month, GM Diesel Division Appre- on plans to make the city into a It made me wonder what ciation Day – that sort of thing. But sort of Christian version of Mecca would have happened if Peter’s when asked to proclaim Gay Pride by building a 100,000-seat prayer life had been a little less journal- Week, Mayor Haskett declined, stadium and bringing in the biggest ism and a lot more playwrighting. because of her Evangelical Chris- North American names in preach- tian beliefs. Of course, many gays in ing, attracting pilgrims from around town were insulted at being singled the world. With the required hotels, out as the only group not worthy of trailer parks and spinoff businesses, acknowledgement in the procla- religion would become the city’s

8 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14 pen to Mister Peabody and Sherman. Pegg’s World If the movie trailer is any indication, the new movie lacks the charm and sophistication of the original car- Peabody and Sherman - an toons but there are indications that Jay Ward’s spirit remains somewhat Improbable (But True) History intact. For one example, a trip to the past has the exact same plot as the Robert Pegg original six-minute cartoon. Peabody and Sherman travel back to help Leonardo Da Vinci because Mona the first chapter of the Old Testament. the movie, Ed moves out of Wilbur’s Lisa has a toothache and is unable to Many agree that it probably began stable and gets a job at a race-horse smile while sitting for her portrait. with ‘Puck’s pet goat ‘Willy’ in Shake- track where he organizes the horses Fans do not like it when speare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. into joining a union. And they ALL young Hollywood tampers too much Admit it. You’ve done this. More extreme history buffs speculate talk. Not only that, so does the burro with an established format. Famili- Taking off your glasses, putting them on the recent discovery of ancient used for comic relief. “By giving all arity is what works best with this on your dog and announcing in a cave drawings in southern Spain in the animals the ability to speak, the genre. As Kael points out, audiences know-it-all voice, “Peabody here.” which a Neanderthal artist depicted film-makers do a disservice to Mister expect certain story-telling devices Needless to say, I’m refer- a domesticated wolf wearing horn- Ed and his background story,” writes within the format and this accounts ring to the ‘Peabody’s Improbable rim glasses and directing a Mastadon Kael. “By making him the same as all for the failure of Ed, Why the Long History’ short which was a regular hunt. In more modern times we only the other horses, they rob Ed of his Face? Speaking of which, with that feature on Jay Ward’s Rocky and have to look as far back as H.G. Wells’ uniqueness and this in turn changes film, that was not the original title. Bullwinkle cartoon series in the early 1895 novel Lassie and the Lost Conti- the dynamics of his relationship with The actor who voiced ‘Ed’ was a little 1960s. But that goes without saying. nent of Atlantis to see where Jay Ward his ‘buddy’ Wilbur.” hoarse. Surely dear reader, you must There were a hundred episodes star- ‘borrowed’ his time-travel story-telling Oh dear gods of the cinema, have heard of The Horse Whisperer. ring the genius bespectacled albino device for the Peabody cartoons. please do not let the same thing hap- Neigh? beagle and his pet-boy Sherman who Prior to Peabody, the genre travel through time via the Wayback enjoyed its greatest popularity in the Machine to ensure history plays out 1950s with the Francis, the Talking as it has been ordained. Mule film series starring the voice of All of which brings us to character actor Chill Wills and Don- the new CGI-animated feature film ald O’Connor as the jackass’s straight Mr. Peabody and Sherman which man. When this was followed by the opened on March 7th. Directed by five-year run of television’s Mister Ed Rob (The Lion King) Minkoff, it is starting in 1961 (coincidently during voiced by Ty (Modern Family) Bur- the same time period as Peabody’s rell and Max Charles doing the title Improbable History,) is it any wonder voices originated by Bill Scott and that film enthusiasts consider this pe- Walter Tetley respectively. riod to be the Golden Age of Talking For students of the cinema, Animal Buddy movies? the movie marks the revival of the Mister Ed starred a talking nearly forgotten film genre known as Palomino and storylines revolved the Talking Animal Buddy flick which around the hi-jinks and hilarity which was popular in the post-war era of result because Ed chooses only to the last century. Talking animals talk to his new owner, the perpetually are nothing new in movies. In fact baffled and perplexed ‘Wilbur Post’ through Disney and family entertain- played by Alan Young. Ed was a bit of ment they’re a dime a dozen in any a smartass and his personality owed a era. What differentiates the Talking great deal to W.C. Fields. Animal Buddy flick, however, is that However, the gimmick eventu- there is only one four-legged friend ally got old and when a feature-length who has the ability to speak. If they version of the show was released in walk upright, like Peabody, they are theatres in 1967 it suffered a quick accepted by society. However, in death at the box-office. Titled Ed, most examples of the genre, they Why the Long Face?, the film alien- share their secret of speech with ated audiences by straying from what only one human. The animal and its they knew. In her review of the movie chosen human become buddies and in The New Yorker, critic Pauline Kael then have adventures and stuff. cites the example of ‘Michigan J. Frog’ Film scholars have long in the Warner Brothers’ animated- debated on the origins of this genre. short ‘One Froggy Evening’ as being Many erroneously claim that it all the pinnacle of art in the Talking Ani- began with ‘The Nun’s Priest’s Tale’ in mal Buddy school and laments the fact Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Hog- that Ed’s writers didn’t follow in that wash, I say. Christian and Jewish his- direction and instead turned it into yet torians point to the talking serpent in another mere Talking Animal flick. In

13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 9 B: Growing up in Thornhill, that’s all I ever knew Oil spills, Opium was playing in peoples garages we had a really 94.9 CHRW TOP 30 and the sweet stuff with bad PA and really bad equipment and would just TUNE IN EVERY SATURDAY AT 11:30AM FOR THE CHRW TOP 30 ALBUM COUNTDOWN thrash out. freedom writers painted palms The Honeyrunners now forever D: Like, the whole neighbourhood could hear 1 2 Deanne Kondrat you. B: There’s rehearsal space . . . but as you get bill durst broken bells older . . . hard and after the On March 1st, a London Music Club au- D: BOOOO! For the record Brandon is only 17. 3 heavy 4 disco dience witnessed the sticky, sweet sounds of The Honeyrunners. The Toronto band, who performed B: But when you get older and move into an pup moka only over 80 shows across Canada in 2013, brought apartment you can’t bang on your drums. But pup mutant their infused mix of classic rock, Motown and folk I like to think that innocence – this is going to 5 6 to London audiences for the second time. sound so clichéd – but that pure happiness of just playing with your pals still exists. arctic monkeys shad The Yodeller sat down with band members Dan D: That place that smells like woodchips, spilled am flying Dwoskin (keyboard and lead vocals) and Brandon oil and sweat rags. 7 8 colours Robins (drums and vocals) before their highly- anticipated set. the pack a.d. cults do not engage static My mother told me to never run with scissors, is it 9 10 okay to run with honey? Dan: It’s encouraged to run with honey, how can redambergreen death toll rising that not feel good? no city infection 11 12 legacy I have to ask the stereotypical question . . . where did your literally sweet band name come from? mark berube noise level Brandon: It’s actually from the Keith Richards Biog- russian dub raphy. 13 dolls 14 knowledge D: This is the real story. PHOTO: SHAWN HUGHES skynet fuzz For more on the band and to listen to some of the wild their tune-age, click over to: fuzz B: So clearly in this book there is a chapter on honeyrunners.com 15 16 drugs. (The Rolling Stones) go to Colombia and Twitter: @honeyrunners they (not the Rolling Stones, people in Colombia) Facebook: facebook.com/honeyrunners dan mckinnon alyeus lather up small kids in honey and have them run asap: as sharp forty days at through the opium fields to help them catch the 17 as possible 18 sea pollen. The kids run through it and it’s a game to them but out of this fun “game” is something so You describe yourself as having a Motown-tinge swamp thing the gories messed up. Those kids were honey runners. But we to your sound. I love Motown – so I have to ask: firedogs the shaw all made up a fake story because we didn’t want Who’s your favourite Motown act? 19 20tapes: live in people to think we’re massive drug heads. (They start singing Reach Out by the Four Tops) detroit 5/27/88 thao & the get various So this band isn’t a drug smuggling front? (For D: Is this why you only wanted to interview the down stay down beach station legal reasons we must state the band is not.) two of us (versus all four band members), so we 21the feeling 22blues ii B: No. So that’s why we’re like, okay, we gotta make wouldn’t get off track like this? kind up a fake story! Dan and I went to high school to- reanimator tribune gether . . . which isn’t true. Oh, no, no (correct answer: yes) great balls tales B: This is a hard one, I’m going to say The Temp- 23 24 D: Well, we went to high school. tations!

the blow elaquent B: And we called the female persuasion the honey D: I have to go with Dion and The Belmonts. the blow green apples pots. And we were The Honeyrunners. When we were getting the band together it was 25 26and oranges important for us to have four voices that could You guys did a song for Coca-Cola (“My Garage”), sing harmonies. Things like the Temptations insurrection the lawrence about being a garage band. I thought since Joey would do, a lot of oo’s and ahh’s that really fill out Jeremiah and The Zit Remedy, Canadian garage prototype arms a room. It adds such a presence to a song. 27 28metropole bands weren’t really a thing anymore. D: I think since The Black Keys, there has been a If you have the chance to see The Honeyrunners against me! wild child major garage-rock resurgence throughout the mu- in concert, I would highly recommend you bask transgender the sic industry. But like literal garages, I mean it’s too in their glorious harmonies. Dan even breaks out 29dysphoria 30runaround cold - we’re in Canada you can’t play in a garage a couple of Motown dance moves. The packed London Music Club couldn’t get enough. blues Canadian | local year round.

10 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14 Dave Clarke

then play on Dave Clarke

Record Collector’s Odyssey

CHAPTER 8 RECORD SHOW ME THE MONEY Those who know me are well familiar that I now avoid attending any Record Shows. It is from frequenting and working at way too many shows over the years and not from the hordes of sweat pants-wearing record hounds that wander the show looking for the latest score. More on Review these fellows later in my story. There was a time in my early days that I Marcellus Wallace looked forward to Record Shows and would attend Marcellus Wallace them in many Ontario cities and even venture to Indie Re-Reviewed other countries to hunt down the black gold to fill my record shelves. From the “testifyin” intro track “Brothers Phil Seymour The first London Record Show was held at and Sisters” I could tell that Marcellus Wal- Phil Seymour Fanshawe College, and I was there selling promo lace's debut CD was going to be one soulful music posters I had hoarded from my record store Boardwalk 1981 slab of R&B floor-fillers. The five piece band’s job as well as some records of which I had grown soul and London roots run deep, with frontman tired. I don't remember making a ton of money but Even though he released only guitarist Ajay Massey being a former member enjoyed the camaraderie and ended up spending of the funk conglomeration, Zuul's Evil Disco two solo LPs in a career shortened by cancer, all my profits. The next London show was moved Phil Seymour's initial release is one slice of and guitarist Dan Tran's participation in Stay- to a much easier location to get to at Centennial lefish. They are joined by bassist Will Nyssen, power pop heaven. Hall. It was at first held upstairs in the dimly lit hall, Seems like karma that Phil first met drummer Jimi James and background vocalist much to the joy of the dealers since slight record Alex Kane. fellow power popster Dwight Twilley at a 1967 flaws suddenly turned invisible. showing of “A Hard Day's Night” in their na- The 10 original tunes on their self The show was eventually moved down- titled debut features tight arrangements and tive Tulsa Oklahoma. They went on to form the stairs at the hall where it still thrives in its fall Dwight Twilley Band with Bill Pitcock, finding clever lyrics reminiscent of 60's era Motown. and winter dates. A couple of memorable shows Speaking of Motown, mention should be made some success with the singles “Sincerely”, included one in Stratford which had somehow se- “Looking for the Magic” and “I'm on Fire”. of the fantastic background vocals that per- cured a beer and wine license for the occasion. It fectly accentuate the lead vocals and give Seymour left the band and filled in time until was a pretty happy show as the thirsty dealers got his solo career took off as an in-demand session it a true authentic sound, especially on the progressively pissed and the deals just got bet- tracks “Ain't Got No Thing”, “It Ain't Easy” drummer and background vocalist. It's his back- ter and better. The other show was in Detroit and ground harmonies on Tom Petty's “American and “Take it Higher”. I also got a real Edwin wasn't quite as happy as the promoter had disap- Starr vibe from the tracks “Movin' On Up” with Girl” and “Breakdown”. peared (I suspect) with the table money, leaving His self-titled release includes originals its crunchy guitar sound and “Everything's only two persistent dealers in the vast hall. I still Alright”. It's an impressive debut and can by Seymour as well as songs written by his co- managed to buy a couple of records before hitting horts Dwight Twilley and Bill Pitcock and the Go proudly take it's place with any of the new soul the record shops which luckily were open on Sun- revival releases. Gos’ Kathy Valentine. A couple of non-originals days. include the best cover version of Bobby Fuller's Getting back to the stained sweat pants- You can catch the band live at their CD release party classic “Let Her Dance” and a nice saucy take wearing record show patron stereotype. One must on Elvis' “Trying to Get to You”. The Seymour- March 15th at Call the Office, where they share the remember that these roomy outfits have abundant stage with The Salads, KC Roberts and the Live penned “Precious to Me” saw some chart ac- crotch room, and for many attendees, the sexually Revolution, and A-fos and the Rude Youth. Advance tion peaking at 22 on the Billboard charts and charged selection of vinyl is the most erotic expe- tickets are $10 and doors open at 9 pm. garnering a top 3 in Australia where they seem rience that they will enjoy. to have much cooler taste. “Love You So Much” not surprsingly has the signature Dwight Twilley Band vibrato. Other highlights include the Peter Gunn- Congratulations to this year’s gained fame in Ontario as part of the Hawks, meets-Wooly Bully, “Don't Blow Your Life Away”, honorees for the Jack Richardson Music Ronnie Hawkins backing band, and world the Drifters-like power pop ballad “I Really Love Awards Hall of Fame. wide fame as a key member of the Band. This You” and “Won't Finish Here” which I swear must Jazz pianist John Noubarian led the master of any instrument with a keyboard, and have been a major influence on Wilco's “Outta- house band at the famous Campbell’s Night specifically the organ, gave the Band their site (Outta Mind). Club in the 50's and 60's, backing such jazz distinctive sound. A second solo lp was released which has greats as Ben Webster, Bobby Hackett, and Both will make an appearance as the it's moments but was rushed due to the demise Ernestine Anderson. Noubarian continues as a Jack Richardson Music Awards celebrates of the record label. A third album was recorded revered part of London's jazz scene. their 10th anniversary weekend April 12th and but never released, when Seymour succumbed Multi-instrumentalist Garth Hudson, 13th. to lymphoma at the age of 41.

13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 11 out there . . . there are mountains out there. Per- music interview haps at those elevations, I’ll still be able to sport the hat. There will be a few well-chosen opportu- nities for the hat. Olenka is a London Lover Bonnie Goodden with Vanessa Brown Are you going to start a punk band in Vancou- ver?

I think [local musician] Tim Glasgow would die if The first time we saw Olenka and Why are you leaving London? I did (laughs). He would be the happiest man! I those cheekbones that span the 49th paral- don’t know. Right now I feel like I could really go Some of it is practical. My boyfriend and I are in a lot of different directions in terms of the next lel was at the first incarnation of the Alex moving together . . . In terms of creative projects, project. One of things that I want to do is really it feels like the right time to shake things up, for P. Keaton on Talbot Street. That would have start thinking about playing electric again, and me. For myself. One of things I’ve discovered in see whether that eventuates in dirtier, louder been around the time that Olenka and the myself, as a musician is that - as I’ve pursued art sounds? That’s very likely. That’s where I started. Autumn Lovers formed in 2008 and began more, I’ve realized that you need to take risks. I’ve The people that I have access to out there certain- become very comfortable in London. I’ve felt like making their mark on the Canadian music ly have that about them. But I think it’s still gonna an established within the community for a while, be rooted in my desire to really enjoy arranging. scene. Today, the band has three albums and I’ve felt like I’ve had an approach to making I’ve become very much enamored with intricate, music that is kind of based in the contacts that I and three EPs under their belt - all recorded careful and thoughtful arrangements of strangely have here, and I think in some ways it’s made me contrasting instruments and letting the listener while Olenka has been here in the Forest conventional within my own approach. You know? become aware of different instruments. I want to City. This blond Polish goddess has been I have an approach I have followed successfully develop that more, and do unconventional things in my mind for the last little while and I feel like I the stalwart leader of a band of somewhat with arranging and melody and instrumentation. need to shake that up. I think that’s gonna happen rotating musicians, developing a sound that because I’m going to be exposed to a lot of differ- blends folk with pop and an orchestral sense ent musicians with similar aesthetics but different approaches [in Vancouver]. It is a place where I Which Londoner do you wish you’d made your of composition. She’s been interviewed on have a lot of contacts, I have a lot of friends be- perogies for? And do you have any recipe se- CBC’s Q, had massive amounts of radio play cause I grew up there, and because I have played crets you’d like to share? with people out there since I was quite young. I’m on Canadian college stations, and been I would make them for Christian [Hegele, local really excited about exploring what will happen musician]. He’s always really appreciated the Pol- featured at festivals like NXNE, the now de- once I start thinking about arranging, a new al- ish cuisine. He’s just a connoisseur of all manner bum, and getting ideas for new songs underway. funct LOLA, Home County (of course), and of food, and I think I promised some to him over the Halifax Pop Explosion. Sadly, Olenka the holidays and we never met up, so he didn’t get is moving back to Vancouver. The Yodeller Can you still wear your Ushanka hat out west? any. I feel bad! talked with her this week to see what was It’s funny, I was thinking about that today, because As for a recipe secret, it’s not too much of a secret, driving a decision that many Londoners will it’s freezing in Toronto and I was like, I’m never but the Polish recipe for perogies isn’t what I think gonna have to wear that hat again! I don’t know. most people presume, which is the kind that is the have difficulty with. There was snow on the ground a couple of days standard for perogies in North America, which is

London's oldest are you ready to ROCK shop

BELLONE'S MUSIC 446 York St. London, Ontario Canada We’ve got this Marshall JCM 800 head and so much more! TEL: +1 (519) 673-1411 12 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14Check out some of our inventory at www.bellonesmusic.com or come on in. potato based ones. The Polish ones are onion and What are the career milestones that have hap- bound to happen, I think - that was a huge ex- mushroom and sauerkraut that’s fried together pened for you in London? perience as well in terms of feeling excited and with just salt and pepper. You kind of have to keep feeling inspired and knowing that you can bring adding salt and pepper until you reach the right I would say that all of them are associated with people together to do things. It’s hard work and amount, so that I can’t help you with. That’s just this community. On the first album, I had a kind there’s a lot of conflict but it was a really rewarding something you’ve got to learn from a Grandma. A of schizophrenic experience with that, because thing and it taught me certain skills. Polish Grandma. When you try those Polish pero- songs were recorded with people from London gies it blows your mind if all you’re used to is store and people from Vancouver and the recordings bought potato ones. happened in very haphazard ways, both in the This summer when you’re on Facebook and Ontario area and back in B.C. In that sense, on that you see that photo set of your friends back in album I felt divided between the two communities. London doing something without you, what is it What is London’s best kept secret? Then I really settled into who I felt I was becoming that they’ll be doing that you wish you were here as a musician through my musical collaborations for? It’s the tradition of its own music community. I think here, and the people I was exposed to, or was people both within London and outside of London inspired by. All of my biggest career milestones to Playing music. I think a lot of the various shows aren’t aware of how longstanding a tradition of a date are directly tied to this community. that I’ve attended and performed in, and the art variety of different musical movements have come shows that I’ve gone to - I will definitely miss all out of London. You can tie that to, let’s say, Home It’s interesting that there is a touchstone with that of that. Catching up with people and hearing County. You can tie that to the Nihilist Spasm Band. first album to Vancouver, because now that I go people’s stories and their plans and then being in- Even the little movements that happened around back to Vancouver, I feel like there’s a circle that spired by that, and seeing people’s performances Open House when we were doing stuff, and LOLA. I’m kind of returning. There’s a connection that’s and their plans taking shape in their artwork, in being re-made. I’m coming back to that commu- their songs, and not being able to see that unless There have been these moments, these little flick- nity a much more professional and clear-headed they decide to tour the west coast - which I’m sug- ers, where really wonderful things have happened musician. gesting everyone should do, at this point. and that’s something that the London commu- nity doesn’t keep in its collective memory well The first album we put out was a huge deal, enough. The community needs to do that itself in because it felt like there was a large community order for the rest of the Canadian scene to recog- behind us. The CD release we did at the Aeolian - nize how this community incubates that kind of art. that felt like a huge moment because, once again, I could feel a large group of this community em- One of the things that surprised me when I first brace it. moved here -because I hadn’t had too much ex- perience living in Ontario before that. I lived in When we were on Q I got a lot Kingston when I did my masters, and I remember of texts from all over Canada feeling very isolated in Kingston and feeling like congratulating me . . . but that there wasn’t really much of any kind of artistic little moment felt so tied to community there. It was just an academic com- London. Even in my inter- munity. It didn’t feel like much was happening. I view there, I talked about would go to the odd show, but it was really, really the London commu- rare. There was nothing really there, nothing to nity as being central incubate anything locally. to what propelled me forward. I definitely Whereas when I came here, I felt like there was think that the work an explosion of opportunity and there was a lot of we did with the arts stuff happening. We forget that, of course, when collective, despite you’re entrenched in a particular scene, let’s say the fact that it kind the indie-rock scene or the folk scene or some- of fizzled, which thing, that there’s a much broader musical com- is the nature of munity. I was surprised by the variety of ages of any collec- people who are involved in the music scene here. tive, that’s There’s a lot of older people playing blues, there’s just a lot of rockabilly stuff happening, especially for a community that I didn’t think was that large. It is actually a large city, but it’s this weird blend of small and big.

It is an incubator for stuff that has a lot more potential and that isn’t just people finding ways to entertain themselves in a small town. Some of the stuff that was happening was nationally recog- nized, if not beyond.

That’s its secret. It’s a good quality to hold dear and inspire in future generations of people doing stuff here. photo: Patrick Schmidt

13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 13 theatre Vanessa Brown New Local History Beauty is Only Skin Deep March 13th, 2014

The London and Middlesex Historian Volume 22 | Autumn 2013 It was a personal experience how the way they look relates to how they value with her son that led Trish West to write Skin themselves. It's not just about how young women The Offical Journal Deep, a play about self-image. "He had a feel either. West delves into concepts of aging and of The London and project in Kindergarten where they had to how adults represent themselves in the workplace Middlesex Historical explain what made them happy, sad, etc... to get ahead. Still, the playwrights wants the play Society His teacher pulled me aside one day to share to get across their message to young women, and Features articles by with me what he said." Marvin L. Simner, While West insists that Catherine B. McEwen & you have to see the play to find out what those Glen Curnoe. words were, their impor- $10.00 tance made a shattering impact. "It was at a time when I didn't like what I Barhopping into History saw in the mirror, but my London, Ontario little boy saw what really Kym Wolfe & Cheryl Radford mattered instead." The play will be A background guide performed at the Arts SKIN DEEP: A Play about self-image at the Arts Project to the history some of Project from April 2 to 5. London’s well known There will also be a special performance at to anyone else who might have doubts about their and favourite watering the Elgin Theatre in St. Thomas on April 12th place in the world based on how they look. holes. Contains gorgeous with proceeds going to Wellspring London. In "Looks, unfortunately, are the first thing that illustrations by Cheryl conjunction with the play, a display of artwork people use to make an assumption about who you Radford. centred arounds ideas of self-image will be are. You know the saying, 'You can't judge a book $13.95 ongoing at the Central Library's Red Wall for by a cover’? It's true. It's important to get to know the month of March, before moving to the who someone is besides their complexion, outfit Arts Project from March 25th to April 5th. or figure and see that they have interests, dreams TAPS is also holding an opening night or smarts. As the people who influence these girls, Gather Up the Fragments: for the exhibit on March 26th at 7 pm, includ- we need to try our best to support and encourage A History of the Diocese of London ing an auction of artwork related to the theme them to be themselves without the need to 'fit' into Michael Power, Daniel J. Brock, et al. and giving 100% of the proceeds to Well- any other mold than that of their own." A comprehensive, spring. encyclopedia-style history Skin Deep tells the story of a fam- of Diocese Mission ily with two daughters, and the struggles of You can buy tickets for Skin Deep through the Arts Project both girls and their parents to understand by phoning 519-878-4452. Catholic Church in Soutwestern Ontario. Also included are histories of religious communities, the cathedral, other parishes and missions and different FIND US ON institutions and organizations collectively called INSTAGRAM diocesan life. $13.95

240 Dundas Street, London, Ontario, Canada 519-432-7277 [email protected] atticbooks.ca Monday - Saturday 9 A.M. - 6 P.M. Fridays until 8 P.M. Sunday 1 P.M. - 6 P.M.

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14 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14 ous major motif in many of the pieces to the emergence of sub-genres look at this here, the reliance on canals and within the Dutch landscape — fields water management infrastructure. A with cattle, or heroic trees anchoring third of the land in Holland lies be- an entire composition — that paral- The Infinite Inspiration of the Dutch low sea level, and by 1750 there were lels that move from the rural to the Landscape 10,000 windmills employed in pump- urban. Trees in Rembrandt’s The ing water. It seems natural enough Three Trees from 1643 still bear a Vince Cherniak that a windmill would come under symbolic or iconic purpose, refer- the artist’s gaze on the landscape, as encing the religious theme of the quaint as it may look from a contem- crosses of the Crucifixion. But a few It’s not every day that archy of representation, where land- porary point of view. But it also raises years on, as seen in Anthonie Wa- some Rembrandts come to li’l ole scape was hitherto subjugated to questions about ideas of beauty terloo’s Water Mill Among Trees, London, but that’s just one of many playing a supportive role in compo- regarding landscapes in our own age or Simon de Vlieger’s Forest Scene, good reasons to take in this not-to- sitions, mere backdrop. This shift ini- of technical and industrial develop- or Study of a Tree in Leaf, trees be-missed exhibition this month. tially brought about an imaginative ment. You can’t help but think of the become an aesthetic subject of study Storms and Bright Skies: Three or fantasy view in early landscape contentious divide in public senti- in their own right. And that raises an Centuries of Dutch Landscapes, work. The views tended to be “God’s ment surrounding the recent devel- interesting question: does it take a at Western’s McIntosh Gallery until eye”, from on high, and this popular opment of wind farms, for example. divide between the urban and rural, April 5, is a touring show from the approach was mostly vestigial from Do we have our own Rembrandts where cattle and trees are mostly National Gallery of Canada and it the idealized compositional practice today celebrating wind turbines? commodities, for the artist to find offers a fine survey of the emergence of religious work. Certainly notions of the a way to appreciate them in a new and evolution of the landscape genre But by the 16th century, start- beautiful are ever in flux, and eco- light? beginning in the late 16th century. ing with Breughel, artists began to nomic or technological develop- The McIntosh is presenting These 65 prints and original draw- complementary educational pro- ings, including great masters Jacob grams in support of the exhibit, with Ruisdael and Jan Breughel the Elder curator Del Re delivering a lecture amongst the 20 artists represented, on the show, as well as three artist- give us a rare up-close view of works led exhibition tours by local artists that you normally won’t see outside a of Dutch heritage — Wyn Geleynse, major gallery. Gerard Pas and Rosemary Sloot — all National Gallery curator So- promising to give interesting per- nia Del Re has created a very inform- sonal perspectives on these historic ative presentation of these selected works. works from their collection, arranged Sloot, whose recent Immi- to emphasize various themes, from grant group of paintings explored scientific and economic develop- her Dutch roots, said she will be ment to the use of motifs such as framing her talk in reference to her trees and sky. “The Dutch landscape own oeuvre. “Do the works in the has been a source of infinite inspira- show bring back memories or evoke tion for Dutch artists,” she underlines, some other emotional reaction? “and their work entirely influences Have my Dutch origins influenced the course of art history, not only in my work? I will be giving a little his- the Netherlands, but all of Europe.” torical background and then taking It’s easy enough to get lost a very personal approach to these in examining the exquisite detailing landscape works and drawing some and technical accomplishment in Hendrick Willem Mesdag — Seascape [detail] comparisons to my own recent work,” the line work of etchings like Jan Van she says. de Velde’s On the Ice (1641). This look more closely at the landscape ments bring new insights or revela- Pas says he will be discuss- robust rendering of hectic activity on around them, and you can follow that tions to our collective aesthetic taste. ing the shift from Church sponsored a frozen canal is effectively a time- development towards higher realism The wealth brought through those art to the market of merchant class travel document, transporting you as you move through the work in this changes in 1700s Holland created consumers. “One can’t understand into an environment long gone. Or show. an urban life that made space for the post-Reformation Dutch land- Hans Bol’s Bird Catchers With Nets As artists turned from the contemplating the rural life that got scape work without understanding (1582) will take you back further in realm of the imagination in the studio left behind, a space to romanticize the theology and philosophy of the this charming illustration of a way of to working directly from nature, the an idealized past, a nostalgia for a day,” he notes. life. In Rembrandt’s Landscape With Dutch landscape emerges as an way of life that was undergoing great a Cottage and Large Tree (1641) elaboration of national identity, and upheaval. Equally, wealth brought the realism achieved reads like a native motifs become common. The about a middle class with disposable Artist-Led tours photograph from a short distance. Dutch sky is given prominence, with income and thus a market hungry at McIntosh Gallery But the real power of this the special quality of light in these for images. As Del Re notes, many show is in tracing the many social lowlands by the sea highlighted in of the images here came out in large Gerard Pas Tuesday, March 18 at 12:30 P.M. and cultural forces that brought many of the works here by Roelant editions with the advent of printmak- about the rise of the subject of land- Roghman, as well as in the focus on ing technology, and therefore had Rosemary Sloot scape within artistic practice. Cer- clouds by Ruisdael. greater influence in the dissemina- Tuesday, March 25 at 12:30 P.M. tainly the Reformation was a major Equally important is the tion of style and subject than single influence in shifting the importance interaction with the sea for economic paintings. http://mcintoshgallery.ca/VINCE ART of religious themed work in the hier- and military purposes, and the obvi- Del Re brings emphasis here 13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 15 another fascinating sea change took fighting for the rights of a subculture cinephilia place. In the wake of turning 40, the that was once completely alien to actor took a brief break from movie- him. The complex, difficult role suc- making and in the process reevalu- ceeded in earning the actor his first The Matthew McConaissance ated his career. He triumphantly Golden Globe, and now the Oscar reemerged in 2011, having decided to for ‘Best Actor’ at last week’s 2014 Jeremy Hobbs only take on more challenging roles Academy Awards. in unique independent or art-house Fans and critics alike have productions, beginning with The Lin- lovingly dubbed this brave new aeon I’d like to introduce you to as the shamefully underrated Lone coln Lawyer and the aforementioned of the actor’s career ‘The McConais- a friend of mine. His name is Matthew Star. However, in the wake of the new Linklater’s oddball opus Bernie. sance’, the most impressive aspect McConaughey. Not the vapid, shirt- millennium, the actor drastically shift- However it was his simmering, of which is perhaps his eye-opening less McConaughey that surfed his ed gears, taking on a never-ending occasionally frightening performance turn as detective-cum-philosopher way through countless rom-coms and procession of goofy, almost self-par- as a sociopathic, fried chicken-loving Rustin Cohle in Nic Pizzolatto’s über incomprehensible stoner vehicles. odying roles in a series of puzzlingly hitman in William Friedkin’s Killer dark, vividly atmospheric HBO crime Nor the chiseled, airbrushed vacuous romantic comedies and/or Joe that reminded the unsuspecting series True Detective. McConaughey that trolled for pirate’s family-friendly adventure films. There public he was actually an actor, and a Each Sunday night, an almost treasure alongside Kate Hudson and pretty damn good one at that. Based unrecognizable McConaughey drifts fought to get Ben Stiller his TIVO. Not on a play by Pulitzer Prize-winning through its barren Louisiana land- even the confused, dwarf-spawned bad boy Tracy Letts, the film was an scape like some sort of possessed McConaughey of Tiptoes: quite NC-17-rated pitch black comedy that ghost, imbuing the enigmatic, synes- possibly the most puzzling film ever featured stellar performances by its thesiac Cohle with a palpable sense made. No, I’m talking about the gaunt, entire cast, and made viewers forever of melancholy. brooding McConaughey who just reevaluate their feelings about Ken- Reuniting with his friend and might be the most interesting and ca- tucky Fried Chicken. Surfer, Dude co-star Woody Har- pable American actor working today. It also demonstrated that relson, the two A-list actors portray The curly-coiffed, Texas-born McConaughey wasn’t afraid to take a pair of diametrically-opposed law- actor burst onto pop culture radar chances or visit some darker-than- men searching for a mysterious killer with his hilarious performance as usual places. Said experiment paid of young girls, as they unwittingly moustached, ginger-loving David off, as it landed him (in addition to a fall into a hallucinatory rabbit hole of Wooderson in Richard Linklater’s brief yet hilarious cameo in Martin occult-laden, possibly supernatural nostalgic ode to 1970s adolescence Scorsese’s greed-opera The Wolf of horror (think of it as a less cartoony Dazed and Confused. His coy spout- Wall Street) subsequent roles in the Twin Peaks). ing of now-classic lines like “Alright, Mark Twain-inspired coming-of-age Still slender from his weight- alright, alright,” and “I looove them Matthew McConaughey in HBO’s True Detective tale Mud, and (in a humorous nod to less turn in Dallas Buyers Club, redheads,” succeeded in landing his bongo-playing nudist persona) the born again actor seems like an the largely untrained actor roles in a were a few exceptions to the rule, Steven Soderbergh’s cinematic sau- entirely separate entity from the handful of modest productions, culmi- like his bald and bearded dragon- sage party Magic Mike. tanned, grinning poster boy of es- nating in his star-making 1996 per- slayer in the post-apocalyptic Reign The culmination of all this ar- capist fare like Fool’s Gold and Sa- formance in the John Grisham legal of Fire. rived with the truly magnificent (and hara. His coif is trimmed, his cheeks thriller A Time to Kill. However, after a full decade magnificently true) biopic Dallas are sunken, and his gaze could seem- In addition to his laconic of work in films like The Wedding Buyers Club. If there was any re- ingly burn a hole (or perhaps a flat charm and obvious natural talent, Mc- Planner and How To Lose a Guy maining doubt as to McConaughey’s circle) straight through prime time’s Conaughey’s Marlboro Man looks and In 10 Days, it became evident that abundant talent, then this film finally cable-connected soul. trademark Southern drawl instantly McConaughey had sacrificed his laid it to rest. In portraying notorious The two actors play off each secured him a place in the fantasies reputation as a serious dramatic actor healthcare antihero Ron Woodroof (an other wonderfully, with the pessimis- of suburban housewives everywhere. for his all-star status as Hollywood’s HIV-infected rodeo champ who ruf- tic, existentialist Cohle not only be- He then turned in a handful of solid ultimate Rom-King. fled FDA feathers by importing unap- ing the most interesting embodiment performances in films as varied as Then, sometime around 2010, proved medications into the U.S.), the of McConaughey’s career, but also Amistad, Contact, and U-571, as well the McConaughey tide shifted and committed actor lost 48 pounds, and one of the most interesting in the his- staggers about the film like a walking tory of televised drama (meaning he corpse. could well top up his Oscar win with Due to the unavoidably an Emmy in the very near future). downbeat subject matter, the film So how does this scribe could have easily wallowed in its own feel about Matthew McConaughey’s misery, however the distressingly unexpected transformation from skeletal McConaughey’s disarmingly rom-com royalty to one of the most charismatic performance as an utterly intense and challenging American driven man who refuses to stop fight- actors working today? ing no matter how bleak the circum- Alright alright alright. Specializing in Service stances, turned the film into a bold, sometimes even humorous testament ESTATE & WILLS REAL ESTATE FAMILY LAW to the triumph of the human spirit. Jeremy Hobbs runs the Black Room Theatre Michael Menear Brian Worrad Michael Murray It’s incredible to watch this company, hosts Retro-Mania at Hyland Cin- Karen MacDonald Michael Menear bigoted, homophobic character ema, performs with musical groups Exit 2012 and Audioforge, and dissects cult cinema in 100 FULLARTON ST, LONDON • 519.672.7370 • www.menearlaw.com slowly metamorphose into a compas- Rue Morgue Magazine. He cannot wait to see sionate, well-rounded human being, how True Detective ends

16 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14 sounds razor

Film Voir – Not Quite as Advertised Sean Twist

action menu popped up then. For TWIST: I spent most of the film ten bucks I could get the three cats I trying to get out O’Bannion’s car needed. after the paint was dumped on him. Of course, your stupid machine put TIFFANY: Which you paid. Thank me about five miles away from the ALLY SHEED in JOHN HUGHES’ THE BREAKFAST CLUB you! So you had a great time? actual film. I was hitchhiking, pan- icking like crazy, and O’ Bannion TWIST: I never caught up with them. picked me up. Of course he did. (SCENE: A pristine white office. A TWIST: No! Wait! You didn’t say it was I made it to the hotel, and was thrown He raged. A lot. By the time I leapt white desk sits within. A woman with also a bloody game! out of the lobby twice. They called me out of the car at a stop sign, the a lethally professional smile sits on a weeabo. And when I tried to make film was ending with the big party TIFFANY: It’s all there in EULA. Page at least the last scene where they kiss, scene. Parker Posey pushed past one side of the desk. She is also all 3,042. You clicked I Kinda Agree, so I got hit by a minibus in Shinjuku. me on her way to her ride home. in white. The words FILM VOIR glow we’re done. Knocked the helmet right off my head. And then the sun began to rise and politely on the wall behind her. A wham, I’m thrown out of the film. wafer thin laptop seems to float in TWIST: Look, I just wanted an escape TIFFANY: Oh, I’m sorry. I suppose from this hellish winter we’ve been you wanted to canoodle with Scarlett TIFFANY: We did say you’d enjoy front of her. A slumped man sits on having. Everyone else gets to go to in the opening scene? You pervert. narratives from a brand new per- the other side of the desk. A black Costa Rica or Disney World. I thought Besides, that option is available to spective. helmet with eight-inch goggles sits I’d just escape into cinema. (Sighs our premium members only. between them on the desk.) theatrically) TWIST: Yeah, wandering around TWIST: Yeah, I bet it is. 1975 Texas was just what I wanted. TIFFANY: Oh God you’re going It’s just like London in 2014. TWIST: I want my money back. This to cry, aren’t you? Fine. Let’s take a TIFFANY: So, let’s see. Your sec- sucks. look at your particular case. (Checks ond film was Dazed and Confused. TIFFANY: Poor baby. And oh! laptop) Oh, I see you went for the Richard Linklater’s love letter to the The last film was The Breakfast TIFFANY: Well, sir, I hardly doubt Economy Package. No surprise there. Seventies, classic rock and tight blue Club. John Hughes’ love letter to that. This isn’t the adult model. The three films bundle. jeans. We didn’t bother to gate this marketable high school angst and film, since only losers . . . I mean, a epic detentions. TWIST: You know what I mean. I paid TWIST: Three essential films. But they certain demographic . . . chooses to a lot of money for your Film Voir 4000 all turned into Apocalypse Now. watch it. So what went wrong here? TWIST: I guess. Your machine and it’s been about as enjoyable as You get Foghat stuck in your head for materialized me in Carl the Janitor’s an Expendables sequel. TIFFANY: Well, let’s take it one film a few days? break room. I spent the entire film at a time. You chose Lost In Trans- playing crib with Carl and hearing TIFFANY: So you’ve said in your lation. Sofia Coppola’s love letter TWIST: No, worse. I got stuck in the about the sweet overtime he was (checks white laptop) 28 emails to to Japan and Scarlett Johannson’s same car with Fred O’Bannion. booking for working a Saturday. All our company. Oh, some with video! vulnerable wistfulness. So what went I wanted was to eat a Cap’n Crunch Cute. I do so like impotent rage wrong? Bill Murray call you a knuck- TIFFANY: Never seen the film. I sandwich with Ally Sheedy. It’s all I in a man. So what exactly is your lehead? went to business school. wanted. It’s all I ever wanted. problem with the Film Voir 4000, Mr. Twist? TWIST: I saw Scarlett and Bill like TWIST: The douche played by Ben TIFFANY: With our ‘Don’t Forget for one second! I ended up in that Affleck. He’s a bully who gets into initi- About Me’ upgrade, you could TWIST: Well, where to begin? Let’s pachinko parlour they run through ating the new high school kids waaaay have that and a slow dance with just say it isn’t as advertised. after that weirdness at the bar. I ran too much. Paddles them with a mallet. Molly Ringwald. Our customers after them and hit some stupid force The latent sadomasochism there is rate it as ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’. TIFFANY: I doubt that. Does the barrier. I couldn’t get out! I didn’t as subtle as a KISS lyric. You know, it’s Film Voir 4000 allow you to insert know you had to get three Maru cat almost a shame Joe Schumacher isn’t TWIST: (blank stare) yourself into your favourite movies? symbols to open the barrier! Have you directing the next Batman movie, now Allow you to become part of the ever played pachinko? that I think about it . . . TIFFANY: (smiles) films you’ve loved all your life? Let you experience beloved narratives TIFFANY: We thought it added to TIFFANY: (blank stare) TWIST: You should be ashamed. from a brand new perspective? the Lost In Translation experience. Once you did that, you leveled up TWIST: Ben Affleck is the next Bat- TIFFANY: The magic of cinema! TWIST: Well, technically, yes, but . . . and would be allowed access to man. (Pulls lever) other parts of the film. TIFFANY: Have a pleasant day. TIFFANY: Funny man. So what else (Reaches for lever beside chair) TWIST: Funny how the micro trans- happened?

13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 17 falling apart in the mid-70s, when the yodeller interview punk was gestating, it was falling apart under a Labor government. The Sex Pistols and any number Blogging Pioneer Kathy Shaidle of early punk bands had broken up by the time Thatcher came along! Mary Lou Ambrogio Through mythological sleight of hand, British punks convinced themselves (and music history) that Your blog, "Five Feet of Fury", is one touched on the topic of anarchy Thatcher and Reagan were the cause of the most popular political/culture approached it from what I suppose of their problems. It just makes for a blogs in Canada and was, I believe, you could call "the right," that is, "better" story and on the Left, narra- among the first. What got you started anarcho-capitalist, free market, small tive is almost everything. blogging and what were you doing government libertarianism. On the before that? left, meanwhile, "question author- Another irony is how conformist a lot Kathy Shaidle I started blogging in 2000, using ity" has always meant "question the of punk really was. There was a Sta- Right" because the Right are always linesque, Year Zero attitude towards Kathy Shaidle is an the free Blogger platform. I already read protoblogs like RobotWisdom the bad guys. That's the lens through former hippie friends and "uncool" author, blogging pioneer and and PopCultureJunkMail, and was which they read books like Ani- music, as anyone in the Clash will mal Farm and watch movies like A tell you now. And you were severely regular contributor to PJMedia, thrilled to see how easy it was to cre- ate my own blog, which I called Re- Face in the Crowd, Invasion of the judged by the type of boots you wore Taki's Magazine and other online lapsedCatholic.com. The blog al- Body Snatchers or The (original) and what color laces you chose, how publications. Her books include lowed me to collect all the cool stuff I Manchurian Candidate. Yet there skinny your pants were and so on. So are valid conservative "readings" of again, it is so much easier being a The Tyranny of Nice, God Rides found on the web in one place; I used it as a "sandbox" for my then-weekly those texts too. liberal/leftist: they run the academy a Yamaha, Lobotomy Magnifi- religion column for the Toronto Star. and the media, after all. Many punk songs are far less open cat (shortlisted for the Governor I've blogged pretty much every day to interpretation, and come down on You do a regular column for World General's Award) and her latest is since then, although I changed the name of my site to FiveFeetOfFury. the side of the left. Obviously, this is a Net Daily which is a recap of conserv- ative Talk Radio highlights for the Acoustic Ladyland: Kathy Shaidle com around 2007. pain in the ass. However, these songs were often written by people barely week. Talk radio seems to be the one Unplugged. Kathy has been called out of their teens who came from medium where conservatives are not I was really pleased to find that we "one of the great virtuoso polemi- terrible backgrounds, and therefore only present but in fact seem to do came from a similar background, i.e. better than the left. Do you have any cists of our time," by Mark Steyn formerly "punks", and that we experi- shouldn't be held up as wise univer- sal manifestos for living! thoughts about why right wing radio and one of her best lines directed at enced a similar political evolution. Do shows prevail, and left wing radio you find it as strange as I do that so shows often fail? Canada's Thought Police at the Ca- many former punks are left of centre, "Question authority" has GOT to mean question everyone, including nadian Human Rights Commission, big government types now instead Conservative talk radio got me of smaller government, 'don't tell me your punk heroes. That's what sets us through my last cubicle job. I'd "You're too stupid to tell me what to what to do', right siders? grown up "conservatives" apart - we download the previous day's Dennis took this stuff literally and eventu- think", has been immortalized on a I came to anarchy via punk, and Miller, Michael Medved and Dennis ally felt compelled out of intellectual t-shirt. luckily, the first books I read that Prager shows and listen on my iPod. honesty to question authorities on The failure of leftwing radio puzzles the left, too. everyone on both sides. I guess it just seems superfluous because the left It's sad to troll around Tumblr and already runs the rest of the media. see 14 year-old girls swooning over Whereas even 25 years later, with something Joe Strummer said 30 his audience of 20 million, listen- years ago, like he was Jesus. Whereas ing to Rush Limbaugh still feels like Strummer was an astonishingly audio samizdata - something vaguely gifted man who also used lots of forbidden, naughty and outrageous. drugs (perhaps self-medicating un- That in turn inspires fierce listener diagnosed manic-depression), who loyalty and passion. cheated on the mother of his children countless times (with the girlfriends of Topper AND Don Letts, no less - I've noticed you aren't a big fan of party politics and instead encour- who both still love the guy.) age people who aren't happy with We should all consider ourselves the status quo to focus on changing lucky Strummer went into music culture rather than trying to effect change through politics. Why do you and not just because of his creative think that's the best and most effec- legacy but because he would've tive course for fixing things? made a good cult leader, and by "good" I mean successful in the very It doesn't really matter who gets worst imaginable way. elected because our day to day lives are overseen by the unelected: gov- The irony is that when England was ernment bureaucrats who can't be

18 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14 fired; cops and judges; lobbyists and that would ruin the liberal narrative. There's anti-SLAPP [Strategic Lawsuit cent. And their cowardly refusal to lawyers. Electoral politics is about So while the comments are often full Against Public Participation] legisla- challenge the real systemic abuse as important as the Super Bowl. As of cranks, you can also see a lot of tion in the works but I agree with the of Muslim women means so-called Mark Steyn says, how do we expect Average Joe wisdom and insight (and Ontario Civil Liberties Association feminists have forfeited their moral people to put an "X" by the conserva- fact checking) in there. That's why that that bill doesn't go far enough authority on other issues anyhow. tive name one day out of every four I often say, "Read the paper upside and libel laws should be abolished. years, when the other 365 days they down." Then we should bring back dueling. I often say that because of all this get Hollywood and the universities Like lots of "old fashioned" things, intellectual fluffery, women shouldn't campaigning for gay marriage or it is preferable to the "progressive" be allowed to vote. I would happily whatever the cause de jour is - and alternative. give up my right to do so - since I bureaucrats, judges and cops happy . . . enemies of free don't really believe in voting anyway to arrest those who don't conform, speech have simply You are a very strong, independent - if it meant no one with a degree in like the baker who was just ordered minded woman and you express women's studies would be allowed to to bake a wedding cake for a gay revved up their use of great frustration for what feminism vote either. couple. has become. It seems like the current libel laws to silence crop of feminists hate the so-called Your blog covers a fairly wide range critics . . . patriarchy more than they care about of subjects so hunting down all the women. Can you cite a few examples material that you think might be of of how some women in the west interest to your readers must be appear to be missing the boat on very time consuming. Do you spend the real problems that still exist for a ridiculous amount of time search- You co-wrote a book called The Tyr- women around the world? ing for and reading through material anny of Nice: How Canada Crushes yourself or have you managed to find Freedom in the Name of Human In the 1970s, feminists joked that if a way to become efficient and effec- Rights, and have been at the forefront men could get pregnant, abortion tive? in the fight to bring awareness to would be a sacrament. Of course, the detrimental effects that Human abortion IS a secular sacrament now. I subscribe to well over 100 rss feeds Rights Commissions have had on So often its defenders sound as de- of blogs and mainstream sites that freedom of speech. You also partici- ranged as pro-lifers used to sound, cover politics, religion and pop cul- pated in a highly successful event when they hung outside the Mort- ture. NetNewsWire serves them all we held in London several years ago gentaler clinic, calling women sluts, along with Salim Mansur, Ezra Levant up in a manageable format. Plus my throwing around little plastic fetus and Chris Essex and, one could argu- readers pass along suggestions. dolls and basically guaranteeing that ably say, Randy Richmond and the an entire generation of women would When you post articles about contro- London Free Press who inadvertently contributed to the success of that never listen to them. The old, truly versial subjects, you often introduce patriarchal, puritanical, bumpkin-ish the article by saying, "As always, the event by maligning you, but I digress. Have you noticed any difference pro-life movement has the souls of real story is in the comment sec- millions of aborted children on their tion". That really resonates with me since the government struck down hands. Luckily, the movement is be- because I'm always struck by this the most offensive provision of the ing taken over by attractive, articu- phenomenon myself whereby, you'll Human Rights Act (Section 13) or has late young people who don't fit the read a very milquetoast article on it not made a whit of difference? a touchy subject and then see that old 1970s stereotype of crusty old in the comment sections, readers Unfortunately, enemies of free men with misspelled picket signs. let loose and talk like real people. speech have simply revved up their Is it just the anonymity that makes use of libel laws to silence critics. This clearly frustrates feminists for people feel safe about expressing Like all horrible things, libel laws whom abortion is the be-all and themselves honestly? And what, if were originally passed as an enlight- end-all, the way pot is for libertar- anything, does that say about how we ened alternative to something "hor- ians. Along with idolizing death and are being served by the main stream rible," in this case, the popularity of decadence, progressives live in the press when it seems like people aristocratic dueling to settle matters past and are forever fighting long aren't satisfied with the kind of cover- of "honour". Canada's libel laws dead enemies. Bull Connor is dead! age touchy subjects get? are particularly draconian, and still George W. Bush is long gone! And A One place you'll really see that phe- reflect a kind of feudal social struc- Handmaid's Tale is not a documen- nomenon in action is in daily papers ture that doesn't (or shouldn't) exist. tary! covering a "controversial" local As well, the Streisand Effect [term story. For instance, a few years ago, used for the phenomena whereby Also, feminists lie again and again to there was a "racist" incident at a high an attempt to censor or stifle a story "raise awareness" about imaginary school basketball game in the States; instead leads to greater interest and problems. There is no "30 cent wage allegedly some white players had more coverage] means that suing gap" between men and women that called the Hispanic players names. someone for libel also does the isn't caused by women themselves, In the comments, however, people on complainant more harm than good voluntarily choosing lower-paying the scene argued that the Hispanic in the long run. However, in the short professions and taking time off to players had started the name calling, run, it only costs a hundred bucks raise children. There is NO annual but that the naive reporter didn't re- to send out a Statement of Claim, outbreak of domestic violence dur- alize that what they were saying was so libel suits are a great way to ing the Super Bowl. One out of four an anti-white phrase - or knew but frighten your enemies into submis- women in America is NOT raped. didn't want to report that, because sion before a trial is even necessary. The Duke Lacrosse team was inno-

13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 19 book review Ian Hunter

or an image, a visit to the Random House website should provide you with a photo of the book’s cover and/or a photo of Michael Ignatieff.

HG

Fire and Ashes

by Michael Ignatieff

(Random House)

reviewed by Ian Hunter

In his Songs of Innocence William Blake wrote:

was if I had been waiting my whole life for “The strongest poison ever known them to show up.” Or this: “You can’t find yourself a place in the politics of a coun- Comes from Caesar’s laurel crown.” try unless you have lived its dramas, and I could be accused of having been missing A learned man like Michael in action . . . I must have thought that sheer Ignatieff might have understood and tak- romantic faith in my place of birth would en this lesson to heart; he would thereby make up for the fact that I hadn’t actually have saved himself, his family, perhaps lived there.” And what other Canadian even the country, some grief. politician recognizes, let alone would dare The theme of Ignatieff’s new book to write about “the encapsulating effect of Fire and Ashes, Random House, 2013 is illusion in politics, how everyone ends up hubris (actually the title of chapter one), a saying the same thing, even though it hap- Greek derivative perhaps best defined as pens to be wrong.” “overweening ambition”. Ignatieff writes: As it happens Ignatieff and I are London's best “One night in October 2004, roughly contemporaries; we were both selection of board games three men we had never met before – and at the University of Toronto in the 1960s whom we later called ‘the where Ignatieff was much in- and Magic the Gathering! men in black’ – arrived in fluenced by the liberal ide- Cambridge, Massachusetts, alism of JFK and the myth to take my wife and me out of Camelot. “Bliss was it in to dinner. . . After a drink or that dawn to be alive, to be two [Alfred] Apps came to twenty-one and to feel that Weekly Magic, Heroclix the point: Would I consider the political activism of your and D&D tournaments! returning to Canada and own generation could be that running for the Liberal Par- powerful”, he writes. Fire ty? . . . What the men in black and Ashes provides evidence were proposing was incred- that Ignatieff never outgrew ible. . . When the meal end- this naivety, and perhaps that ed and they headed back to is more a compliment than a Toronto, I said merely that I criticism. Ignatieff is a man would think about it.” of some wit and insight. He is Think about it he willing to re-examine former did, and then Ignatieff leapt for the gold assumptions and positions. Clearly he has ring. Today, “I want to explain how it be- not emerged unscathed from five bruis- comes possible for an otherwise sensible ing years of leading the Liberal Party of person to turn his life upside down for the Canada, but nor has he become bitter or sake of a dream, or to put it less charita- cynical. This is how he sums it up: “I knew bly, why a person like me succumbed, so moments of exaltation when I thought I helplessly, to hubris.” might be able to do great things for the What makes this book so engag- people, and now I live with the regret that ing, and sets it apart from most political I will never be able to do anything at all. memoirs, is that Ignatieff is honest about In short, I lived the life. I paid for what I his foibles and failures. He acknowledg- learned. I pursued the flame of power and es that he never really determined why saw hope dwindle to ashes.” he wanted to become Prime Minister; he While I never voted for him, I think speculates that it might have been to ful- that I would rather have a convivial dinner fill the dreams and ambitions of his de- with him than with almost any other cur- ceased parents. He admits that he found rent Canadian politician. So, good on you, the political grind a hard slog and that he mate, you put up with a lot and survived. often wanted to quit; it was Quebec Pre- Just one other thing. Fire and Ash- mier Jean Charest who told him that the es is a relatively slight book but it has one cardinal virtue in politics is perseverance. of the longest Acknowledgements ever. I Ignatieff acknowledges how devastating could not help but reflect that if all those the Conservative’s “Just Visiting” attack thanked in the Acknowledgements had ads proved to be. We have grown unac- actually voted for Ignatieff, he would be customed to such frankness from our poli- Prime Minister. ticians. It takes real courage, not the pho- ny stuff mustered when an occasion seems propitious, to write this: “When the three Ian Hunter is Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Law strangers invited me to go into politics, it at Western University. 20 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14 book culture

Interview with an Unrepentant Genre Junkie Jason Dickson

adult fiction, I decided to release my first series, needed to complete entire novels, and since the the Blood Magic saga, which Ruler is Book 3 in, free poetry thing was going so well, I didn’t feel overly online (through its own website and various fiction- pressured to move in that direction just yet. When sharing websites, such as Wattpad). I considered it I more or less retired from the spoken word scene a way to say, “Hi, nice to meet you, here’s the kind after getting hired at Rue Morgue full-time and of stuff I want to write, what do you think?” It was subsequently became very serious about learning an opportunity, if you will, to potentially build a fan the craft of journalism, things changed. Over time, I base and get instantaneous feedback from teens found myself missing having a creative outlet, and in my target demographic at the same time, and in that’s when the dream of fiction once again raised both those regards, I consider the series a success. its head and I’ve been writing horror stories for (The first book, Bleeder, for instance, surpassed teens ever since (at the rate of about one novel per Monica S. Kuebler is a polyglot of 200,000 reads earlier this year on one site alone). year). sorts - writer, editor, publisher, performer, even The problem, of course, is that there is currently sometimes model. Her work as editor and writer very little monetary return for writing online at the horror magazine Rue Morgue is how many in the serial format, though many readers have people know her stuff. She also runs the literary expressed a great deal of interest in owning the series as proper, physical books, should they ever department at that mag - The Ninth Circle. On top be released as such. of all that her Young Adult genre fiction (Bleeder, Ruler), as well as her work as publisher of Burning Effigy Press (Bram Stoker Award nominee) have How would you describe your experience at the also developed her audience. She used to live in crazy, excellent and cultish mag Rue Morgue? London. I remember meeting her at the old Ecks It’s been a great experience all around. Of course, zine readings (most vividly at a Museum London there is a lot of hard work involved with producing reading). Full disclosure means that I think her a monthly magazine, but nothing is better than get- work as a genre maven makes her totally cool. I ting to do something you love for a living, which in my case translates to writing, editing, getting to in- had to interview her for the Yodeller. terview my heroes, and travel about to conventions and participate in set visits, among other things.

As I said, I’ve been an unrepentant genre junkie Tell me about your fascination with Horror since I was a kid and this has proven to be an ideal, Literature. dream-come-true career for me.

I’ve been fascinated with horror since I was about five or six years old. At first it was all about the I remember you reading poems at Museum London monsters and confronting fears in a safe way, but in the 90s. How did that poet become an official as I got older I discovered how the genre can be aficionado of all things creepy and literary? What used to tell all sorts of stories, about all sorts of was the development? issues (controversial and otherwise), and is in fact MONICA S. KUEBLER : comprised of a lot of stuff much bigger than simply Even during that period of my life I was a huge AUTHOR OF THE YOUNG ADULT BOOK, RULER that which frightens and unsettles us. In recent fan of TV shows such as The X-Files and horror years, I’ve become taken with the way that horror movies (those were, after all, the halcyon college Lastly (I have to ask) tell us about your time in Lon- cross-pollinates with other genres and how much days of yearly Evil Dead fests and my first genre don, Ontario. What do you remember most? more diversity that also brings to contemporary conventions). At the time, I was also deeply im- narratives. And, of course, I’ll always love the genre mersed in the fiction of John Shirley, Nancy Collins School. Friends. Dancing at clubs until last call because of the sheer escape it provides from the and Nancy Baker, among others. I just never really multiple nights a week. My first poetry readings. mundaneness of everyday existence. got on the whole spooky poetry train as a writer, My first serious adult relationship. In short, a lot of because unless it is done really, really well (in the firsts, I guess. London was the first city I lived in on vein of, say, Edgar Allan Poe, or Helen Marshall’s my own after moving out of my parents’ house. It marked a really incredible period of self-discov- Your book Ruler uses the web successfully both as 2013 collection The Sex Lives of Monsters) it tends a means of promotion and publication. You gained to come off as hokey and juvenile. Interestingly, in ery, and I loved every moment that I spent there, a large readership that way - 10,000 reads just the late 1990s, I was already experimenting with even though a time did eventually come when I recently. Tell us how it is to embrace these uncon- serial horror fiction via an untraditional vampire needed to move to Toronto to pursue a career in ventional ways to find a readership? story I was writing in monthly installments for a my field. I’ve gone back a few times over the last small Windsor, Ontario-based ‘zine. I think in many sixteen years, but the magic that seemed so inte- From the perspective of getting your work out ways penning horror stories was always my end gral to that specific place and time is unfortunately there in front of eyeballs, the web is really an in- goal, but during my late teens and twenties, I had not something that can be easily recaptured. Now it credible tool. Having no bankable name in young neither the attention span nor the dedication level only lives on in history and memories. 13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 21 needs to live by herself first, she needs to be able fashion to decorate her own place and have her own space to discover who she really is.” We would ra-ra about independent women as I picked out coasters Thank You, Weezi! and planters from her shop, she even brought me Deanne Kondrat some cool vintage blankets that she spotted at a Goodwill and knew I would enjoy. Lisa always sees the beauty and fierceness On March 30th, The Weezi Studio on in every gal. Whether you are a size two or twenty- Albert Street will be closing its doors. This does two, she wants you to feel fabulous and unstoppa- not mean the Weezi entity as a whole is done. De- ble in her designs. And I can’t speak for everyone, signer, creator, shop owner Lisa “Weezi” Gaverluck but I know I do! When I was at my heaviest weight has assured us that the shop will continue online right after college, I definitely struggled with body and customers can make appointments to visit her issues and insecurities (sorry, after school special if they are needing a little retro-inspired flair in moment.) their wardrobe. So you know what Lisa did? She used me To me, a Weezi fan since my high school as a model in two of her fashion shows! Nothing days, this brings mixed emotions. Although I real- bumps up your self-esteem like having your hair ize this is a smart business move as most small and makeup professionally done and being put companies do the majority of business online, I into beautiful clothes tailored to your body type. will miss the pretty-in-pink shop full of personality All my insecurities faded away by the time we had located in the heart of downtown. to strut the runway in some retro lingerie. I have been shopping at Weezi’s since high Deanne doing a shoot for a New York school (when the store front was located in what beauty blog – full of confidence in her favourite used to be the booming Galleria Mall!) – but I Weezi dress! came to know Lisa personally in college, right be- If you have not met Weezi yet, you have fore she moved her studio to the current location at until March 30th to visit her in her wonderfully- 204 Albert Street (upstairs unit.) Just for time refer- pink studio. This is a must for any self-proclaimed ences, when we first met we exchanged MySpace fashionista in the city. After that, you can probably addresses! still find her some evenings at her partner’s pub: You see, when you become a friend of Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium. She will be the tiny Lisa’s, you know you have a personal cheerleader blonde perched on a bar stool. at all times. When I was in school for journalism And if you need a conversation starter, you she would let me interview her and assisted me can’t go wrong with kitties or Downtown Abbey! with countless stories and documentaries. When For those of us who do have the pleasure of know- I continued my studies in public relations, Lisa let ing her, be sure to buy her a drink and say thank me handle press and marketing for her events, you. allowing me to build a credible resume. It always amazes me how she became a champion for prac- To check out Lisa’s designs, and more from the mind of tically every girl who walked through her door. the pint-sized wonder, visit: When I moved into my first apartment I Deanne doing a shoot for a New York beauty weezi.com always remember her instilling the wisdom, “A girl blog – full of confidence in her favourite Weezi dress! Twitter: @WeeziClothing

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22 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14 our teams to practice after we lost red headed snippet our last space. We try to keep our costs down, so we don't have a lot of money to spend on rent.” Roller Derby Needs Room to Grow The North London Optimist Community Centre, at Cheapside Vanessa Brown & Highbury, already hosts roller skating nights. It seems like a natu- ral fit for London's derby leagues to The floor, however, is still an issue. and usually family friendly. While practice there, but rental costs make For a while, my league skated in a sports promoters in the United States it nearly impossible, as do better church basement. The church secre- have picked up on the fastest grow- funded groups who pre-book slots tary was an enthusiast of our sport ing sport in the world, making mad months in advance for sports like in- and wanted to help us out, but the money from sold-out games, here in door soccer. It's pretty hard for self- shiny tile made it almost impossible London, Ontario there has yet to be run, grassroots groups to get ahead. to stay upright on the corners. "Pol- an investor who would step in and Perhaps derby leagues in London ished concrete or hardwood would take advantage of the junior, full- can take their search to city hall like be ideal," says Rebekah Zinger, a co- contact, low-contact and even men's Stratford did and find support from founder of the Stratford league who roller derby that have built a vibrant our own city council? Unlike the made their presentation to city coun- community of skaters right here at Festival City, London already has a cil. They need "approximately 6,370 home. city-run roller rink. It seems pretty square feet of floor space." Basically, Kennedy says, "We struggle ridiculous to have over 200 skaters a big empty warehouse is all that every year with renting facilities. constantly hunting for stable places is required. "We would ideally like Some people that are not educated to skate when there's one right there. to be able to accommodate a mini- about derby frown when we tell them mum of 200 spectators, in a 'sports we’re a roller derby team and fear If you want to see what all the fuss is Stratford's roller derby complex' environment," says Zinger. that we’ll damage floors and create about, check out Forest City Derby Girl's league, the Festival City Rollergirls While London's FCDG declined to an unsafe environment. We not only double header on March 24th at the West- (FCRG), recently appealed to their participate in this story, I can tell you need a permanent flexible space, ern Fair Agriplex, or London Middlesex local city council to help them find a firsthand that upwards of 1,000 peo- we also need to educate society as a Roller Derby's upcoming game on May permanent space for practices. Like ple regularly attend their games at whole to accept this as a truly clean, 3rd at the Medway Arena. You can also go derby leagues around the world, the the Western Fair. A minimum of two fun sport. Our organization spent to www.forestcityderbygirls.com or www. Stratford derby girls run everything hundred? That's just the beginning. five months trying to find a place for lmrdrollerderby.com. Support Local Derby. themselves - from huge games at- London's low-contact league, tended by over a thousand people, LMRD, is simply looking for a reliable to pub nights, league meetings and practice space. While most of their the simple logistics of finding a place games are held at Medway Arena, where they can practice the sport they've had to rely on the coop- safely. The approach of seeking eration of the YMCA to keep things Artfusion Gallery municipal help is, however, kind of going. They hold their practices at Citi Plaza, 355 Wellington Street, Suite 136 • 519 709 7686 unique. the Bob Hayward branch on Friday I can speak to the situation. nights, and while league President HOURS: Mon - Fri: 11a - 6p Sat: 12p - 5p Having skated with Forest City Lesley Kennedy says the staff are [email protected] www.ArtfusionGallery.ca Derby Girls (FCDG) from 2006- super friendly and the venue is safe, 2009, and then co-founding LOCO "The gym is small and we aren’t Roller Derby in 2010 - now London able to have a full track. Also, with Middlesex Roller Derby (LMRD) - I the other groups using it before us, know firsthand what it's like to get on there is dust and debris on the floor the phone and make call after call, that has to be cleaned [before every hoping that someone will give you practice]." a chance. One of the biggest objec- Kudos to the YMCA, however, tions to letting derby groups skate for understanding how important in a facility is concern about dam- roller derby is to women's sports. age that could be caused to floors The YMCA in Stratford has also been - a worry that is uninformed. While instrumental in the survival of their rubber wheels from the 1970s might local league. The truth is that derby have left marks, new high grade offers women an empowering way Introducing Emerging. Showcasing Established. urethane wheels are designed to to stay in shape, build community grip and don't rub off. Derby leagues and experience personal success. Different. also maintain their own insurance. Institutions like the Universities A facility can rent to skaters without of Alabama and Edinburgh have Facebook.com/ArtfusionCA @ArtfusionCA liability, and without worrying about studied everything from the bacte- their floors. ria on wrist guards to the way these BE A PART OF LONDON’S MURAL HISTORY! women run their organizations - each Artfusion is painting London’s largest mural, depecting pieces by the late artist and ocean activist, Stephen Watson. Learn more & donate! one unique, each one connected. PHOTO ABOVE by JOE MAC: It's not only a great sport to play, www.SWMM.ca #SWMM Ashley "Sewer Princess" Rammeloo skates with London Middlesex Roller Derby. but it's highly entertaining to watch

13.03.14 THE LONDON YODELLER 23 24 THE LONDON YODELLER 13.03.14